Tennis Ready for Wicked Weekend in Boston

Terriers, No. 49 Crimson on the Docket for Mean Green

Sophomore Ana Sofia Cordero (pictured) has a 4-1 doubles record with junior Agustina Valenzuela this season.

Feb. 6, 2015

BOSTON, Mass. — With a 1-5 record in Texas and neighboring state New Mexico, the North Texas tennis team is hoping that a trip over 1,500 miles away to the East Coast will turn things around. The Mean Green are in Beantown this weekend for a pair of matches against Boston's finest; first against the Terriers February 7 at 12 p.m., then at the No. 49 Harvard Crimson February 8 at 10 a.m.

"These are two good teams and we expect them to challenge us," head coach Sujay Lama said. "It's another opportunity to get out of our comfort zone early in the season so we keep getting stronger as the season rolls along."

Boston comes into the match with a 2-1 record, but its lone loss came in a 7-0 decision at No. 62 Dartmouth; the only ranked team the Terriers have played this season. With North Texas being No. 70 in the country, Lama's bunch might have a leg up to get their second win of the season.

Even though the team has struggled to put together positive results, there has been a lot of fight in this group. Spirits are still high at the Mean Green compound, as they should be. Besides the first two matches of the season against No. 24 Oklahoma and No. 11 Texas A&M, North Texas has been just a few points away from swinging some results the other way.

"The great thing about this group is their high level of intrinsic motivation and constantly seeking to make improvements," Lama praised. "We are looking forward to a great weekend and hopefully the hard work we have put will give us an opportunity to have success."

The team's second match of the weekend will be a difficult one as well. Harvard has started the season 3-1, including wins against No. 45 DePaul and No. 60 Boston College, and will have had seven days off to prepare for the Mean Green.

Through the first six North Texas matches, the team's best play has come from the No. 3 doubles pair of sophomore Ana Sofia Cordero and junior Agustina Valenzuela, who have begun the season with a 4-1 record. For the Mean Green to be successful, No. 1 doubles pair of seniors Kseniya Bardabush and Franziska Sprinkmeyer need to be more consistent, as they have begun with a 1-4 record.

Getting out to a 1-0 lead on the doubles point is crucial, and the team has the talent and chemistry to be especially successful in that regard.